December 2008 looked like this a great deal of the time. I'm looking forward to bluer skies over the valley in 2009. Tonight we experienced a pink sky as the setting sun burnished high clouds near the mountains, creating that wonderful Alpine Glow on the earth. Didn't get a photo of it but was transfixed for many minutes while watching the colors change from inside the warm house.
The back (weedy) area hasn't been touched for more than a month. Snow covered the gravel pile for much of December, the shovels I'd carelessly left out began to rust, and weeds began to pop up all over the already graveled area. I must go to the store and purchase some Roundup....one of those nifty containers that you pump a couple of times and the sprayer keeps spraying for long minutes.....hopefully, more than 2.
A package of crepe myrtle trees sits on my front porch, enduring freezing temps every night, waiting for the hard frosts to discontinue so they can be planted. By the time the weather warms a bit, I should have decided where to plant them. So far, I'm thinking of putting them all together in one large circle. Maybe not the best idea, but while they're small, they ought to be spectacular once they begin to blossom.
Most of the trees have buds on them. My rain barrels are full of water that freezes over at night, ready to be used when I begin to put water on the trees and plants.
I haven't yet pruned the roses, nor have I gone outside in the cold, cold weather to prune the herbs in the herb bed. Those are tasks that must be done this week. Not my fave thing to do, but necessary for good growth this spring and summer.
Marmalade didn't lift her head until she'd wiped the bowl clean. The food, you ask? Especially for a finicky cat. Ha! Nothing less than white meat albacore in water. Probably too much salt for a small cat, but she drinks lots of water, so hopefully, the extra salt will be washed quickly from her body. She loves good tuna!
No matter where I move the quilts until I can get them folded and put away in the blanket chest, Marmy finds them, digs a little nest, and makes it a new "home."
Marmalade, now Queen of the house since her brother went to the Rainbow Bridge on December 1, is at the moment viewing her stash of very expensive cat food, send to her for Christmas from her cousin, Chloe. Although Marmy seems unimpressed, she did a fine job of scarfing up some of the pink salmon (wild) a day later. It's clear that I've not taken enough pics lately. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity followed by long days of idleness. 2009 will bring some changes to this household, now ruled by Queen Marmalade.
